Wednesday, March 13, 2013

My Wacky WIP on Wednesday


Okay, don't laugh.  My WIP this week is the beginnings of a rag rug that I'm attempting to knit out my my fabric scraps.

Needless to say it's not going well.

Keep in mind I've never knitted before. And I'm discovering that maybe this isn't the best project for beginners.

On the other hand maybe it is.  Because it's kind of wacky and scrappy it might cover up any mistakes I've made. I'm not sure yet. It's too soon to tell.

Not too soon to tell if I've made any mistakes, just too soon to tell how visible they will be!






I'm pretty clueless about knitting, but I just love the idea of this rag rug.  Using strips and selvages that would normally get thrown away is pretty neat.

   Amanda Jean at crazy mom quilts has done some posts about making these rag rugs and she put the directions in her book too.  I wish my rug looked like her's!  

I am planning to pull this all out and start over.  Maybe that will happen today.  Seeing this picture has convinced me that my stitches are just way too tight.  I'm having trouble with the needles because of this.


  After reading some knitting blogs, I think I need to go back and make a conscious effort to make my stitches bigger.  Maybe even casting on to two needles to make the stitches on the loose side.


I'd appreciate any suggestions that you might have!! 






Well, I'm linking up with Lee from Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday.  If you're curious about what other bloggers are up to, go over and check out her blog.  Lots of great projects to see!

Remember my last post about Soft and Stable, a great new product to use when making bags?  Annie, the maker of Soft and Stable, was kind enough to stop by and leave a comment with lots more great information about it.  If you're interested in reading more about Soft and Stable, you might want to go back here and see what she has to say.

I hope you get some quilting time in today!




10 comments:

Julierose said...

Hi Michele--you may want to try a circular needle--as this looks like it may spread out --they are easier to hold big projects in your lap. Try to relax when you knit, otherwise those stitches get so tight you cannot even budge them down the needle!! Throw the cloth loosely --I think when you throw this in the washer it'll tighten up anyway... Been there, done that. And, yes, yarn would be an easier start...but, hey, I always jump in with both feet, too!!
Have fun!! Julierose (a former constant knitter)

Cheryl said...

Oh, Michele, I love the knitted rag rug idea! I don't know how to knit either, but I have my grandmother's knitting needles! I may give this a try...thanks for the inspiration.

JoAnne said...

I think it is great that you are learning something "new." I've nver seen scraps knitted before, only crocheted. I'm going to have to check it out. I'm looking forward to seeing progress on yours. It must be a great portable project for soccer games, etc!

Lois Evensen said...

Looks like fun to me! I've knitted with fabric. The cool thing these days seems to be knitting with t-shirt material after cutting old t -shirts into strips. It makes a nice rug, too.

PunkiePie (Jen) said...

I have no knitting advice for you. Wish i did. I want to learn to knit in the worst way.

Abby and Stephanie said...

I have all of my grandmother's strips as apparently she used to crochet rag rugs. She even has one started in the box of scraps but I'll have to figure out the method to her madness. Can't wait to see your outcome.

Jackie's Stitches said...

I agree with trying circular needles! What you're doing is a good beginner project and it will be very forgiving.

Izzy said...

I've knitted, but I've never tried it with fabric so I really can't help. It looks like this would be really fun though and a great way to put those scraps to good use. Let us know how it goes! :-)

Joyful Quilter said...

Two words: crochet hook. Crocheting is SOOOO much easier than knitting. My mom has made me lots of crocheted rugs, love them. Some day I want to crochet one using fabric scrapts.

Candace said...

I wonder how crocheting would work, Michele? It would be a loss less frustrating with one needle than two with knitting? At any rate, it looks like a lot of fun!
Cheers!